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i don't know what happened to him, but he was able to give a distinctive style to his characters from a relatively old but far more superior series (Infinite Ryvius). sCRYed does a bit of a good job of differentiating too, i think, but it looks closer to the ones he did recently.

Were his characters not so "Everybody looks like each other!" I'd agree with you. Just look at the cover to novel volume 1 of Giniro no Olynsis...I swear, he merely xeroxed a colored lineart pic of Athrun and slapped it on the cover...

Anyway, I was just showing my complete agreement to the comment on Hirai. I'm always willing to give any anime a shot despite whatever its characters look like. Heck, I even gave Giniro no Olynsis a shot, and I didn't even drop it because of the way the characters looked. But Hirai has little to no ability to differentiate his character designs.

Anyways...

Well I've heard Soukyu No Fafner is an amazing mecha series marred a bit by crappy character design. Yet I'm working my way toward it in my list. He doesn't make an anime suck but man does he suck at his job. I'm worried as to why he still finds work as it does not make any sense. I know the Japanese tend to tilt towards Homgeniety but come on!

Bullshit at it's best. Hirai's character designs didn't ruin Fafner. Hirai is like Okawara without mecha. His linearts suck, but how they're potrayed by the animation studio makes it look distinctively different compared to being on paper. How often did we see Athrun and Kira looking the way they did on Hirai's lineart in the anime anyway?

In fact, I'd go the extra length to say that for something like Fafner, Hirai's designs actually contributed to the presentation. Hirai-designed characters have a tendecy to look it's best when they're full of emo, and Fafner is chock full of character emo IN A GOOD WAY.

THIS IS OFF-TOPIC though. If anyone wants to continue this, please create a Hirai thread elsewhere.

__________________

Night~and~Gale: ~ The Final Mythology of the Man who Defied Destiny.The sleeping lion shall awaken beyond the depths of time, crossing ten billion lights, come to Terra.

Bullshit at it's best. Hirai's character designs didn't ruin Fafner. Hirai is like Okawara without mecha. His linearts suck, but how they're potrayed by the animation studio makes it look distinctively different compared to being on paper. How often did we see Athrun and Kira looking the way they did on Hirai's lineart in the anime anyway?

In fact, I'd go the extra length to say that for something like Fafner, Hirai's designs actually contributed to the presentation. Hirai-designed characters have a tendecy to look it's best when they're full of emo, and Fafner is chock full of character emo IN A GOOD WAY.

THIS IS OFF-TOPIC though. If anyone wants to continue this, please create a Hirai thread elsewhere.

I don't think I said it ruined it, at least I'm absolutely certain I said it didn't ruined it. I think what I said was its an amazing series marred by crappy character design. Does anyone else think I said he ruined it. Don't put words in my mouth. There is a huge difference between the words mar and ruin. Hirai is a hack at this point and needs to either get better or retire.

And for the love of god guy stop spelling my username wrong in your quotes, jeez louise. Sorry for the rage but it drives me nuts when even if I choose my words carefully somebody still spins it in a negative direction. It's like I'm on FOX News all of a sudden.

Doing my darndest to fix another mess I caused do to people not READING and scrutinizing what I write, has anyone heard anything about a new Kiddy Grade anime that Aya Hirano had a coronary episode over a while back on her blog and then it was never heard of again. I've heard the show was pretty bad but I'm still intrigued.

Kono Aozora Ni Yakusoku Wo To Be Animated
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Japanese videogame publisher GIGA's smash hit adult PC love adventure Kono Aozora Ni Yakusoku Wo: Melody of the Sun and Sea will be adapted to animation according to information published in Comptiq Magazine Vol.011. After first hitting the market on March 31, 2006 the game swept the 2006 Bishoujo Game Awards wining The Grand Prize, The Scenario Prize, The Theme Song Prize, Best Pure Love Game and The User Support Prize. A seiyuu voice cast composed of mostly fresh talent was used to portray the 6 main heroines of the work. In a unique promotion campaign, the main theme song, opening movie, trial version and voice dramas were all released freely on the web. A major promotional effort also took place at Comic Market 70 and Comic Treasure 8. A PS2 port is is expected sometime in 2007.

Well, it's probably also worth noting that it wasn't announced in "Comptiq Magazine Vol.011" either, as the volume numbers for Comptiq are over 300 now. They probably meant Comptiq Ace. But, you know, fact-checking... At least they don't bill themselves as "The Internet's most trusted anime news source"...

Whatever the Bishoujo game is its a surefired hit. I've come to accept that this is what sells today whether I enjoy the genre or not, it's just how it is.

But please tell me there IS something deeper to the plot this time than guy and a harem and/or school setting. I cannot watch it if that isn't the case. I've seen one of them in To Heart 2 and part of Tsuyokisu and thus I feel I've seen enough for a lifetime at least. I've liked Higurashi and Fate/Stay Night and what I've seen of Kanon but that's because they are multilayered in terms of plot and have characters that go beyond the archetype.

The characters look cute, but that would never make up for a lack of plot and a story behind the face. Sometimes I wonder if these are merely commercials for the game to whet a fans appetite into playing the game and getting some actual story.

Oh dear and holy raptor Jesus-sama, first Nagasarete Airantou, then Prism Ark, then Hayate, and now Kono Aozora..... 2007 will be a wonderful year.

NAOKO-SAMAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!

Quote:

Whatever the Bishoujo game is its a surefired hit. I've come to accept that this is what sells today whether I enjoy the genre or not, it's just how it is.

But please tell me there IS something deeper to the plot this time than guy and a harem and/or school setting. I cannot watch it if that isn't the case. I've seen one of them in To Heart 2 and part of Tsuyokisu and thus I feel I've seen enough for a lifetime at least. I've liked Higurashi and Fate/Stay Night and what I've seen of Kanon but that's because they are multilayered in terms of plot and have characters that go beyond the archetype.

The characters look cute, but that would never make up for a lack of plot and a story behind the face. Sometimes I wonder if these are merely commercials for the game to whet a fans appetite into playing the game and getting some actual story.

Hmmmm..... it's hard to answer your question.

Yes, it's got a setup for a school harem. No, the characters do not all pine for the male lead, or at least they don't do it as one-tracked and as openly as most harem anime or game (one of them actually hates him and practically everyone else in the cast in the beginning). No, the characters are not paper cutout archetypes, although that depends strongly on your standards regarding who is and isn't an archetypical character.

What is your definition of multi-layered? Does it have to involve mystical or paranormal elements? If so, then you won't find anything all that mystical or supernatural in Kono Aozora.

The plot is "deeper" than To Heart 2's, that I can gather. Is it as thickly layered as Higurashi? No, but then again there's very little in all of fiction that can match its complexity anyway.

So what would you like us to tell you? Do you want hear/read us defend this game to the death? Or do you want us to ward you away from the show? Perhaps it may even be better for you to completely forget about this show, just to spare yourself and the rest of us all the angst and complaint that may inevitably come later; and you'd blame me and everyone else for wasting your time with the show anyway.

But, since no one's seen the anime yet, the only example left is the game. I would suggest you go get the trial, or if you're willing, get or DL the whole game, and see for yourself how it is. If you can read Japanese, awesome. If you can't, use AGTH to machine-translate. If you can't bear the machine translation, or refuse to read machine translation, then there's little we can do to help and you should ignore the game and show altogether then.

................ well, it does at least have the best student council president character EVER. At least in my humble experience and opinion.

Oh dear and holy raptor Jesus-sama, first Nagasarete Airantou, then Prism Ark, then Hayate, and now Kono Aozora..... 2007 will be a wonderful year.

NAOKO-SAMAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!

Hmmmm..... it's hard to answer your question.

Yes, it's got a setup for a school harem. No, the characters do not all pine for the male lead, or at least they don't do it as one-tracked and as openly as most harem anime or game (one of them actually hates him and practically everyone else in the cast in the beginning). No, the characters are not paper cutout archetypes, although that depends strongly on your standards regarding who is and isn't an archetypical character.

What is your definition of multi-layered? Does it have to involve mystical or paranormal elements? If so, then you won't find anything all that mystical or supernatural in Kono Aozora.

The plot is "deeper" than To Heart 2's, that I can gather. Is it as thickly layered as Higurashi? No, but then again there's very little in all of fiction that can match its complexity anyway.

So what would you like us to tell you? Do you want hear/read us defend this game to the death? Or do you want us to ward you away from the show? Perhaps it may even be better for you to completely forget about this show, just to spare yourself and the rest of us all the angst and complaint that may inevitably come later; and you'd blame me and everyone else for wasting your time with the show anyway.

But, since no one's seen the anime yet, the only example left is the game. I would suggest you go get the trial, or if you're willing, get or DL the whole game, and see for yourself how it is. If you can read Japanese, awesome. If you can't, use AGTH to machine-translate. If you can't bear the machine translation, or refuse to read machine translation, then there's little we can do to help and you should ignore the game and show altogether then.

................ well, it does at least have the best student council president character EVER. At least in my humble experience and opinion.

Multi-layered is more than one overarching plot element or theme to the story. Despite everything you provided me I feel I have nothing to go on. I'll wait it out and see what we end up with. I will be checking out Prism Ark for sure though. High School drama works best for me though when it has something else to go along with it. Not supernatural or mystical but anything and it can't be just a one-shot arc or one character situation it would have to be a major theme. I went through High School once and I don't want to go through the same thing again if it ends up actually being less exciting than my high school experience. (I had a blast in High School.) Man I wish I had more info.

No, the characters do not all pine for the male lead, or at least they don't do it as one-tracked and as openly as most harem anime or game (one of them actually hates him and practically everyone else in the cast in the beginning).

Multi-layered is more than one overarching plot element or theme to the story. Despite everything you provided me I feel I have nothing to go on. I'll wait it out and see what we end up with. I will be checking out Prism Ark for sure though. High School drama works best for me though when it has something else to go along with it. Not supernatural or mystical but anything and it can't be just a one-shot arc or one character situation it would have to be a major theme. I went through High School once and I don't want to go through the same thing again if it ends up actually being less exciting than my high school experience. (I had a blast in High School.) Man I wish I had more info.

Higurashi had one overarching plot element, solving the mystery and stopping the tragedy, with smaller themes like trust and friendship within, but you've apparently enjoyed that story.

Now nearly all eroges that let you "get a girl" consist of one-shot arcs, one for each character. How much is packed into that one-shot arc depends from game to game, but they're all still one-shot arcs regardless, and Kono Aozora is one of them. So is Kanon, but you apparently enjoy that story.

If you want games with a really solid central story that all the individual character paths orbit around, Prism Ark is the most current example I can think of. Kanon's is about Yuiichi recovering his lost childhood memories, but that's more of a setting rather than an actual plot.

So "Multi-layered is more than one overarching plot element or theme to the story." doesn't really tell me a lot either.

And your high school experience was a "blast?" Then relinquish all hope ye strange one, for if high school was fun enough for you to actually enjoy it and call it a "blast" then there's no hope of any high school-based anime or game meeting your expectations.

Now to address everyone else:

Quote:

Originally Posted by neosam

Are there any tsundere characters in the game ?

Rinna is the one you want (reddish short-haired in the front of right pic), although it's hard to call her tsundere since she's really tsun in the beginning, then is neutral, then gets dere later on, but only in her character arc. For everyone else's she's just cool after her tsun phase ends.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kurogane

I am interested in Kono Aozora ni Yakusoku too... could Shinova provide a spoiler-free summary on what might be the story about more? I can't find a lot of information on it.

As of course, I've seen the character pictures from the official site and from what I can tell, I love the character designs already, but I would like to know what the story is about.

Spoiler for My description, inferior to ayyo's:

Let's see, the main protagonist is Wataru. He lives on a small island with a peaceful, idyllic atmosphere, sort of like Da Capo's Hatsunejima, but even smaller and quieter (and no magic sakura trees, lol). He attends the only high school on that island, and lives in an old and aging dormitory on a hill with the rest of the cast members. He and the cast serve as the school's student council.

The dormitory used to be more populated but due to its age all the students have moved out until Wataru and his friends are the only ones left. They live more like a warm and cozy household of friends rather than just as schoolmates (and one teacher).

The story begins when Rinna transfers into the school and the dormitory. Actually Wataru meets her before the actual transfer when the story actually starts, but I won't spoil that for you.

Anyway Rinna is apparently a delinquint of sorts and the early part of the story involves the rest of the cast......well, Wataru, trying to get her to drop her icy facade and such. After that depends on whose character arc you play.

I think they'll probably go with Rinna's arc I guess. Unfortunately that was the next one I was going to play after finishing Naoko's and Umi's but never got to it.

A little bit on the characters:

(forgot his family name) Wataru - Male lead, 2nd year. Not one of those weak, girl-shy ones, but not a raging hentai-king like Taichi from Cross Channel or Imadori from School Rumble. He's proactive though for sure. He's also a master musician who can play the guitar, the harmonica, and a bunch of other stuff. He's serves on the student council as vice-president, and is also the second-best runner in the school.

Sawaki Rinna - New transfer, 2nd year. The tsundere character, if you had to find one. Hard to approach, a bit of a delinquent. Loves sports and running in particular. Is in the same class as Wataru, but is not on the student council.

Hayama Umi - The childhood friend, blonde hair, 2nd year. Gentle and easily distressed (crybaby, lol ). Also serves on the student council as the clerk, I think, and is in Wataru's class. She wishes the happy and peaceful days of living together with her friends in the dormitory could last forever.

Asakura Naoko - The one with that weird cross ornament in her hair. 3rd year and president of the student council. The most popular and idolized girl in school (you all know those types). Classy, great leadership skills, and very graceful and all that. Of course, being the president, the #1 girl and all that can be quite stressful so she likes to wind down and revert to her more casual state once inside the student council room (no, nowhere near as bad as Yukino from Kare Kano).

Rokujou Miyaho - The white-haired one. 1st year. Is a mixed child with a British father, I think. Comes from a rich family and has a big house somewhere on the island, but lives in the dorm during the school year. Wataru is the only one she called sempai. Everyone else is something-sempai. She's nice and graceful like a rich lady but in a different way from Naoko, I guess. Also in the student council as an assistant of some sort.

(I can't read her last name) Shizu - Blue-haired. Teh loli. 1st year. Hard to approach due to her taciturn manner, other than from her friends in the dorm. Hard to say much else. Sometimes has cat ears in the game. Hmmm. Also an assistant in the student council.

(I can't read her last name either) Saeri - The teacher at the bottom of the pic. Resident faculty at the dorm and the advisor to the student council. Likes to drink a lot. Not very good with technological stuff, from what I can gather. Worries about the kids often. A little high-strung, maybe.

And not on the picture but worth mentioning:

Akane - She's currently on the game website's front page. Officially transfers into Wataru's class right before Rinna. Her first meeting with Wataru is..... interesting. Anyway she warms up to him and the cast quickly. Uber-genki. Talks really fast.

EDIT: I direct you all to ayyo's Kono Aozora thread, as obviously his skill in description is superior to mines.

Is the story deep? It's deeper than To Heart 2, for sure. Definetly deeper than the Tsuyokiss anime. The anime of Da Capo is a little better than it. Prism Ark is deeper than both Kono Aozora and Da Capo. Kanon is just as deep as Prism Ark but in a different way (Kanon is a small-scale human drama, Prism Ark is a fantasy epic).